Rumour: Netflix coming to iPhone, iPod Touch and Wii
by Stevie Smith - Aug 5 2009, 15:45
Set to expand to the Wii soon? Image: jeffgunn/Flickr.
Seemingly not satisfied with the business boost gained from its availability through TiVo, Web-enabled Blu-ray players and Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Netflix looks set to bring its online content streaming service to three more of the tech world’s leading electronic devices.
Specifically, a report issued by industry watcher Multichannel suggests Netflix is preparing to bring its ‘Watch Instantly’ content streaming service to the trend-setting Apple iPhone smartphone, its non-telephonic iPod Touch stablemate, and also Nintendo’s demographic-busting Wii home console.
According to Mulitchannel’s Todd Spangler, news of the impending platform expansion has come from the loose lips of an unnamed industry executive closely linked to Netflix’s business plans.
While portable iPhone and iPod Touch access to the 12,000 television shows and feature films offered through ‘Watch Instantly’ is certainly a tantalising prospect, Spangler notes that performance may be tainted due to Apple’s partnership with U.S. network carrier AT&T.
“Netflix’s streaming-video feature would probably be restricted to access over local Wi-Fi connections only – not over AT&T’s 3G data network – in the same way other bandwidth-heavy video apps for the iPhone are limited,” he warned regarding the deal.
While Netflix has refused to comment on the story, the likelihood of it holding water is perhaps enforced by this week’s news that Netflix has refreshed its content deal with The Walt Disney Company in an effort to further expand its market appeal – something the inclusion of the iPhone, iPod Touch and Nintendo Wii would further enhance.
The revised partnership with Disney sees the Netflix ‘Watch Instantly’ service taking stock of multiple seasons of hugely popular ABC television properties such as Lost, Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives.
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